| NSF Org: |
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | September 17, 2010 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | June 17, 2012 |
| Award Number: | 1010028 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Alphonse Desena
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | September 15, 2010 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2014 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $1,782,862.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $1,782,862.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2011 = $573,008.00 FY 2012 = $554,209.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
2469 CORRALES RD CORRALES NM US 87048-9104 (505)792-1110 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
2469 CORRALES RD CORRALES NM US 87048-9104 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | AISL |
| Primary Program Source: |
04001112DB NSF Education & Human Resource 04001213DB NSF Education & Human Resource |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
Ideum, Inc., in collaboration with the Institute for Learning Innovation, will develop, test, and disseminate a free suite of original, multitouch-enabled, open source exhibit software that will transform the ability of science museum professionals to assemble interactive computer-based exhibits for use in museums and on the Web. The project will develop a library of extensible software modules for all major platforms that exhibit developers can configure in specific ways. These modules (developed using the popular Adobe Flash and Flex authoring tools) will be configured as three flexible templates that have broad application across the ISE field: 1) a current science news aggregator, 2) a timeline-based exhibit, and 3) a collections viewer. The templates will also be available in the form of universal modules that more advanced users can mix and match to build customized exhibits, allowing for modification that will yield further advancements to the software.
Open Exhibits will increase the capacity of hundreds of science museum exhibit practitioners to easily create interactive computer-based exhibits, both on site and on the Web. This project has particular significance for smaller museums with fewer resources for exhibit development. The secondary audience is the large number of museum visitors whose experiences and STEM literacy will be enhanced by the project's exhibits. Rockman et al. will conduct summative evaluation with particular attention to the impact of the deliverables on practitioners and user institutions.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Open Exhibits
Open Exhibits is an initiative that has transformed the way in which museums and other informal learning institutions produce and share computer-based exhibits. Open Exhibits is both a collection of software and a growing community of practice. The initiative is focused on providing tools, research materials, and support for exhibit developers, content developers, multimedia and graphic designers, IT specialists and project managers. The site is open to anyone interested in the topics explored, but the target audience our professionals who work at science-technology centers, natural history or children’s museums, botanical gardens, aquaria, planetariums, parks, zoos, and nature centers.
Open Exhibits focuses on the development of new human computer interaction (HCI) exhibits that holds the promise of creating visitor experiences that are physically engaging and socially interactive. The Open Exhibits software collection includes templates, components, and utilities that serve as building blocks for creating digital exhibits and interactive applications. These tools facilitate the development of applications that encourage shared-surface, collaborative computing via multitouch tables, touch wall, and other HCI innovations such as voice and motion recognition.
The Open Exhibits SDK has undergone four major updates. The current version 4.1 is available for free. Nearly 30,000 people have downloaded the Open Exhibits SDK (29,742 as of 11/21/14).
The Open Exhibits project held a design conference to help better design its software and templates for museum exhibits. Twenty-five museum professionals attended this conference held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The findings from this conference were disseminated on the Open Exhibits website.
Along with making software available to the community, Open Exhibits has been involved in community outreach through the Open Exhibits website, workshops, lectures, and other initiatives. Open Exhibits presented at the American Aliance of Museums Conference, Association of Science - Technolog Centers Conference, WebWise, Museums and the Web, and other events.
The Open Exhibits website is a place to learn about emerging technologies and effective practices in exhibit development. The Blog and Research sections of the site highlight projects created with Open Exhibits, point to papers and research, highlight new technologies, and show-off DIY hardware projects. We have encouraged our members to contribute in these areas and others. The Open Exhibits website currently has 5,401 members (as of 11/21/14).
The Open Exhibits website also houses other professional development initiatives including the Creating Museum Media for Everyone (CMME) accessibility initiative and the Human Computer Interaction in Informal Science Education (HCI + ISE) conference.
The Open Exhibits project also conducted research on the educational effectiveness of new technologies in museum settings. These research findings are posted in the Open Exhibits Papers section and also available at: informalscience.org
The Open Exhibits initiative is continuing beyond its original funding period from the National Science Foundation. It currently has funding the Institute of Museum and Library Studies (IMLS) and matching funds from Ideum, Inc. More information about the project can be found at: www.openexhibits.org
Last Modified: 12/03/2014
Modified by: Jim V Spadaccini
